Two ethnic Shan armies have declared a truce amid dramatic changes in the military situation on the ground in Shan State just over a month into a major anti-regime offensive.
The two groups—the Shan State Progressive Party/Shan State Army (SSPP/SSA) and the Restoration Council of Shan State/Shan State Army (RCSS/SSA)—announced the decision in a joint statement on Wednesday.
“We intend to unite as one in the future, but first we need to establish trust. For that, we need to work together for a period,” said SSPP/SSA spokesperson Maj. Sai Phone Han, speaking to Myanmar Now shortly after the statement was released.
The SSPP/SSA and RCSS/SSA are the largest ethnic Shan armed groups in Myanmar, with 10,000 and 8,000 troops, respectively, according to the Institute for Strategy and Policy—Myanmar, an independent think tank that monitors the country’s armed groups.
The SSPP/SSA was formed in 1971 and is based in the northern Shan State state town of Wan Hai, while the RCSS/SSA was established in 1996 and has its headquarters in Loi Tai Leng, in the southern part of the state.
As part of the truce agreement, the two groups said they would exchange prisoners and notify each other of the movements of their members or their families.
According to Maj. Sai Phone Han, they will also discuss the deployment of their troops and hold bilateral meetings every two months.
The two sides last engaged in hostilities in April of this year.
The SSPP/SSA is also close to the Brotherhood Alliance, a coalition of three ethnic armed groups that began carrying out coordinated attacks against Myanmar’s military in northern Shan State late last month.
Since the launch of Operation 1027 on October 27, the alliance—consisting of the Arakan Army, the Ta’ang National Liberation Army, and the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army—has captured at least half a dozen towns and more than 170 junta outposts in the state.
Responding to news of the truce between the two Shan armies, regime spokesperson Zaw Min Tun called it a positive development and said that all parties should join forces to fight the Brotherhood Alliance.
Last week, in a bid to stoke hostility against the alliance, the junta spokesperson accused its members of occupying the homes of ethnic Shan civilians.
